In the next part of our series profiling the duties of members of the Trust Board of Directors, we hear from Alan Cecil in an article which first appeared in ‘Parklife’ for last Saturday’s home match vs Barnet.

“I expect I am best known as the man who distributes the team sheets outside and inside of the Vere Suite on each match day!

I first became a Trust Director back in 2011 over a year before the takeover of the club. I hoped that I could give freely my skills and experience of 40 years work in the financial sector. I then took early retirement at the end of 2012 and was immediately thrust into the task of trying to raise further working capital for the football club, linked to the security of our prime asset, Adams Park. This proved a tougher task than we imagined with most banks shunning anything to do with football clubs and only very expensive loan companies showing any interest. Out of that came the necessity for the sale and leaseback of the Training Ground and the establishment of the Chairboys Funders scheme.

I now administer the Trust Share Scheme which we launched in the spring of 2015 after many months of planning. This involves me acknowledging and adding each new application to the database, then checking the Trust bank account every day for incoming payments, recording them and ensuring they are ring-fenced for the purposes of the Scheme. I then issue all the share certificates and the tax claim forms every year, which also is a sizeable manual task.

Annual Trust memberships hit our bank account during the autumn months and again it is my duty to spot these and pass the details onto our Membership Secretary.

Following the recent launch of the 500 Club, I am assisting with that too, checking all the bank receipts and again ensuring those funds are set-aside for when required by the club.

I am proud to be a founder director of Frank Adams Legacy Limited – the company that owns Adams Park – and now also act as its company secretary, a position I also undertake for Chairboys Funders Limited.

Three years ago I was appointed as a Director/Trustee of Wycombe Wanderers Sports and Education Trust and now also act as their minute secretary. This role gives me a fascinating insight into the terrific work done by WWSET every day of the week.

In the past I have done various other volunteering jobs around the stadium – grass bank clearing, painting gates steps and stands, selling programmes, cleaning seats. I also liaise with Terry Hall at every game over the sale of the Matchday Badges – a useful fundraiser for the Trust and I record and bank the profits.

Engagement with the fans is an important part of my Trust Director role. I am chief editor of the Trust website and their Facebook page whilst also responding with factual information on other forms of social media. I do help host visiting club directors on occasions but prefer to socialise with the fans before and after the home games.

I am just a fan who introduced Wycombe Wanderers to his family and saw them become regular supporters and, in one case, a club director who then gave that up to become an employee. I am now known as Matt Cecil’s dad but I can assure you that this does not present any conflicts of interest. We both know things the other doesn’t and I was not involved in any of his appointments.

But as much as I enjoy all that has gone before, to me the best time of all is about 2.55pm when I finally get to take my seat to watch the game………….always in hope rather than expectation. Sometimes that hope is fulfilled and that’s what keeps me coming back for more!”